For Thanksgiving Jitters, A Strategy Free of Fuss

By MOLLY O'NEILL

Published: November 22, 1989

MANY problems of contemporary life have been addressed by self-help strategies. Are you addicted? Phobic? Frenzied? Faltering? Help is a phone call, a meeting, a best-selling paperback book away. There are bootstrap techniques to get rich, get thin, get powerful, get peaceful, get even. But what about the host with a bad case of nerves? According to industry studies, home entertaining is on the rise. Nevertheless, Fear of Entertaining remains an unspoken complex. Hosts secretly suffer its terrors. What if the bird is overcooked! The champagne explodes! The souffle collapses! Grim scenarios leave hosts weak with self-doubt.

Thanksgiving, with its guarantee of complicated family drama and the expectation of a spectacular meal, could drain the confidence of Perle Mesta. ''Everything hinges around food, so it better be right and not burned,'' said Charlotte Moss, owner of an antiques and home decorating store on Lexington Avenue, who is nervously planning to serve a Thanksgiving meal in a new home with a dysfunctional kitchen.

Victor Acosta, an investment banker who commandeered the meal from his mother-in-law for the first time this year, already has regrets. ''I shop a little before work and read recipes after work and have nightmares every night,'' he said. ''I've tried to be organized about it, and as a result, I am completely frayed.''

A few quiet moments of forethought can give any host the self-assurance it takes to avert (or remedy) disaster.

''The biggest mistake that hosts make is overreaching,'' said Lee Bailey, author of ''Good Parties'' (Clarkson Potter, 1986). To please guests, hosts choose complicated menus and table schemes, then exhaust themselves with preparation. ''By dinner time, the host is frazzled,'' he said.

A panting, red-faced host whose apron resembles a Jackson Pollock painting can make guests feel they must prove themselves worthy of the effort.

A simple menu can avoid this contretemps. ''Forget staggering the courses,'' Mr. Bailey said. ''Sit people down and get to the main order of business: overeating.''

In addition to balancing the flavor of different dishes, consider cooking times. ''When everything comes out of the oven at the same time, it is frantic-making,'' Mr. Bailey said. Avoid the Charlie in the Chocolate Factory Syndrome. Balance baked casseroles against dishes cooked on top of the stove; weigh dishes that can be prepared ahead with ones that must be finished at the last minute.

To avoid a late-breaking disaster with the bird, cooks should schedule an annual review of turkey technique. ''The prevalent problem is underestimating thawing or cooking time,'' Mr. Savoca said. The best method for thawing a turkey is to place the wrapped bird on a tray in the refrigerator. (See box for thawing times.) Allow the time to consider all the vicissitudes. Then choose a recipe and follow it. There is no best method for cooking turkey. Some prefer an initial high temperature to sear and crisp the skin, followed by a long, slow roast. Others choose the simpler method of roasting at a steady 325 to 350 degrees, allowing 15 to 20 minutes a pound for a stuffed bird and slightly less for one that is unstuffed. Roasting the bird covered or in a brown paper bag usually yields a juicier turkey. Uncovered roasting delivers crisp skin.

For food safety, turkey should not be stuffed more than 15 minutes before cooking. And stuffing should be removed from the bird as soon as it is taken from the oven. Methods of cooking the bird at 200 to 250 degrees overnight carry a significant risk of bacterial growth. A little food poisoning can go a long way in dampening the party spirit.

Experts agree that the actual roasting technique is secondary to basting. ''Mind your cooking time and baste with abandon,'' said Gregg (Beagle) Brodsky, manager of the Willie Bird turkey farm and restaurants in Sonoma, Calif. Basting helps develop a deep-mahogany skin and also helps keep the meat moist.

Roasted turkey will slice best when covered loosely with foil and allowed to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes after cooking. ''This allows plenty of time to get everything else out of the oven and on the table,'' Mr. Bailey said. Warm plates and hot gravy will heat the cooling slices.

Setting the holiday table, like cooking the meal, should be kept simple. John Loring, senior vice president and design director at Tiffany & Company and author of ''Tiffany Parties'' (Doubleday, 1989), advises against crowding guests at the table. The girth of a typical Thanksgiving meal can make for a low claustrophobia threshold. To avoid an 11th-hour seating crisis, borrow additional tables or chairs and count china, flatware, crystal and linen ahead of time. ''Have a seating plan,'' he said.

For Thanksgiving decorations, Mr. Loring advises using autumn colors. ''You can buy yellow and red peppers and pumpkins to arrange on the table with leaves or shrub trimmings for a festive look,'' he said. A can of gold spray paint, he says, works magic. Spray the walnuts thoroughly and lightly mist apples and pears with the paint for the table. In addition, he says, ''vases of branches sprayed white need only a few lilies to make a stunning flower arrangement.''